the right truck to pull 14,000 lbs

[cekkk]

Giving more information would sharpen answers. How often will you pull? Where, flat lands, hills, Rockies? Also, explain the 14,000# number. Is that weight empty or loaded? The more information, the better people can respond.

[Rusty Nuts]

I pull 14000 lbs with my 5th wheel. My truck is a 2002 F350. The only thing I would really like to have is more gears ( I have a 5 speed automatic). In addition I would like to have an exhaust brake or compression brake. I have all the power I need with the 7.3 Liter but I would like to have a little more downhill braking at times. Definitely get a 1 ton or larger and a Diesel engine. I prefer single rear wheel because in my year truck it has the higher ratio rear end (373) whereas the dually was 410. Very rarely would I like to have the 410, it just eats fuel with those lower gears. The diesel has all the power you need.

[dustyjames01]

Perhaps A truck 🚚 with at least 10% more capacity than your ultimate weight goal.
Diesel may pull better, however, weigh the costs, number 📱 of times u will be pulling.
Good luck 🎲!

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Old railroader

sold old 1/2 ton truck and need to purchase one to pull 14,000. Have got a lot of advice from folks at church and articles I have read but can't make up my mind on gas or diesel. Neighbor who is a diesel mechanic says to go gas due to the high repair and maintenance cost on diesels. Would like to hear from you folks. I can't afford new so looking for something around $32,000.

Rather than opinions why not follow the guidelines from a Pro
http://rvsafety.com/rv-education/matching-trucks-to-trailers

[poohbear]

Originally Posted by Joan617

Maybe not 26k lbs but maybe close. Here's an example for reference...



We just did a full weigh-in.
Our truck (see sig.) with full fuel, 2 adults, 8 (small) pets, tools and lawn furniture came in at 9,150.


If we maxed out the trailer at 16,750 the combined gross would be 25,900.


In reality the trailer was at 16,400 and we purposely shopped like crazy beforehand with full pantry, fridge and basement with more reserve beverages. We even had full fresh water tank @75 gal. which is not like us for traveling but we wanted to push the envelope. We had 3 full propane tanks and no generator but we had room for the 300 lbs it would add.


Oh, and a Kitchen-Aide Stand Mixer (for pizza dough) in the basement too.

Tx DL requirements not based on your ACTUAL weight but the rateing on the door stickers, GVWR Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. My 321RLTS goes across scales around 13000 but gvwr is 14500 & my Chevy D/A CC dually is 13000 ( maybe 13400 ,CRS has set in))

[Drifter1959]

Originally Posted by JohnWedell

my ram with a 6.4 hemi and 4:10 rear pulls 15,000 lbs. from New York to Florida and back with no problem. if you’re going in the mountains maybe not.

This is the truck to purchase. A 4.10 rear and a big V8 will tow your 14K trailer well.

[Rusty Nuts]

Drifter 1959 must own stock in some oil company.

[Eldecker]

Lots of info on pulling capabilities. I have an Eagle HT. 9000 lbs.ish.... My Eco-Boost F-150 could pull the heck out of it. uphill, no problem. Problem was in braking. Lots of engine power, but only had front disks, small disks, and they overheated with minimum braking going downhill. Ended up trading in for a Diesel F-350 with dual disk (larger disks) brakes. Better ride; definitely better stopping power; worth the price.

Don't rate on just power. check the brakes!

[steve.jurnigan]

I had F150, big v8, 3:73 gears, trailer towing pkg. My tt was 7,000+. It struggle to pull the trailer. Flat pulling was O.k. Mileage was 8-10 mpg. I up graded to 8,000+ tt. Felt if the right truck came along I would trade. I found 2018 F-250 4X4 diesel that was Enterprise rental, with 22,000 miles. I traded, very good move. I can keep up with the interstate traffic. Fuel is higher, maintenance is higher, mileage is 14-15 MPG. I am happy.

[LittleBill]

Have read through most all of the posts and the recommendations seem to be get a diesel. Only you can see if it is in your budget, but I have to concur on the diesel. Reason is I had a 1/2 ton Avalanche pulling my Jayco Flight 26BHS (6,800 lbs) and would get from 6.5 to maybe 9 mpg(avg 8.0 overall). Bought a Chevy 2500HD ton 4WD Diesel (7,800 GVW) and immediately the worst was 9.0 and about 10.5-11 mpg average pulling the TT. Highway get about 20 mpg and around town 15-16 mpg. About what any truck will get.

Bought a 16,500 GVW 5th wheel and get the same avg 10.5-11 mpg. GCVW with full fuel tank, 2 adults, 1/2-3/4 water, etc. combo weighed out at 24,000 lbs (exactly). Most times pulling the 5th, I get better than pulling the TT. I attribute that to air dynamics and where hitched up at (bumper vs 5th hitch in bed).

Most are also recommending a long bed, mine is a std (short) bed. If you are going to be towing a 5th wheel and get the std bed, I highly recommend a Demco Autoslide (link - https://www.etrailer.com/Fifth-Wheel...DM8550022.html).

Had thought about buying a diesel dually but after thinking about driving to a destination and having to drive it around, I decided against that. I have a class B CDL and am contemplating getting the class A non-CDL due to the new 2500HD ton trucks getting to close to 10K.

I have said this before in other threads/forums, you barely notice that the 5er is there (of course you do towing anything). Power to go up hills and using the exhaust brake relaxes the nerves going down them knowing that you are not using all brakes to keep your speed down. Haven't regretted buying the diesel one iota. I won't buy another gasse for a major TV even with the higher maintenance costs. It is a pleasure to drive.

Good luck in your endeavors.

[Driver]

Should you compromise or not,spend more for a fueler or less for a gasser? I was towing 8,000 lbs 25 years ago,now 13,000 lbs. I owned 3 diesels,then 1 gasser with a v8 for 2 years,and just went back to a diesel,the difference while towing or just the pleasure of having all that torque available is just like night and day. I like Fords but they are all nice trucks. Bottom line,it really comes down to dollars and cents. Good luck with your decision brother.

[Russ661]

+1 on the diesel option!
We had a 2012 Chevy 1500 that we had purchased specifically to tow with. We bought a 27 foot bumper tow trailer that was rated to 7k pounds. The truck pulled it fine on flat ground but it was hard to listen to it turning 4k+rpm going up hills. What finally caused us to upgrade was a pronounced hesitation when pulling away from a stop. Pulling out into traffic was downright scary at times. I decided I wanted a 2500HD Chevy diesel but the local dealer couldn't get one. We waited and waited until I finally got fed up and walked across the street to the Ram dealer. Best decision I made in a long time. I had a 60 mile round trip commute that I drove every day in a Toyota Yaris. I tried commuting with the Ram 1 time and sold the Yaris, even though the mileage in the truck was barely half what the Toyota got (20-21 vs 38-40). Now we tow wherever we please without any worries. Yes, maintenance is costly: replacing 1 oil filter, 3 gallons of oil and 2 fuel filters every 6 months or so is pushing $200 in parts alone (I'm a DIY kinda guy) but as long as I can afford to drive my Ram I will!

[Joan617]

Originally Posted by poohbear

Tx DL requirements not based on your ACTUAL weight but the rateing on the door stickers, GVWR Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. My 321RLTS goes across scales around 13000 but gvwr is 14500 & my Chevy D/A CC dually is 13000 ( maybe 13400 ,CRS has set in))

Check. I see your point. My truck sticker is 14k. I’ll have to look at the regs again but Florida DMV let us through after declaring everything at the time of registration for truck, RV and licenses. Thanks.

[ShotgunZ71]

Originally Posted by cekkk

Giving more information would sharpen answers. How often will you pull? Where, flat lands, hills, Rockies? Also, explain the 14,000# number. Is that weight empty or loaded? The more information, the better people can respond.

This is also my thinking. I have a 355MBQS that I pull with the new GM 6.6L gas engine. Pulls it fine. We go about 10-12 times a year, with an occasional mountain trip. If we lived in a higher elevation or camped in one more often, a diesel may be a better option. However, for my use, the gas engine does fine. Not saying I won’t ever get a diesel again, but the gas engine has been good so far.

[gbwill0]

I don’t care for Dually’s so I bought a RAM 3500 Mega Cab w/Cummins engine-single axle. It’s a beautiful beast that handles 14K payload easily. I tow a new Jayco Eagle 319MLOK behind it, no problem.

[ARMYG]

Go diesel, going up a hill you need all the torque you can get, gas engines just rev up to very high rpms to do the same

[CAG]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

Rather than opinions why not follow the guidelines from a Pro
https://rvsafety.com/rv-education/ma...ks-to-trailers

I think I mentioned that way back in the beginning of this long, long thread of "I think you should buy this". It makes so much sense to follow that advice rather than do the proper research.